You mean socks aren't stored in the dryer?! Oh, then they must be stored in the laundry basket...that's right.

I want you all to know that I had a HORRIBLE day and in spite of it, I behaved. Yesterday I was at school from 8:30am to 7pm because of literacy night. I had dinner there. I skipped the macaroni and cheese and the chocolate cake. I ate the fried chicken, corn, and cornbread. I wasn't perfect, but at least I didn't overindulge or eat everything put in front of me. So, after that loooong day, I was tired and wired. I ended up staying up late to wind down. This morning I was up at 6am to bike for 30 minutes. Good girl! For breakfast, I had cheerios with a banana. This morning, my supervisor asked me to fax over my lesson plans with the Connecticut Benchmarks aligned to each lesson. AAAAAHHHH!!!!!! The lesson plans were no problem, but aligning each benchmark to each lesson took two hours to hand write. My aide had to take over the class. As a result, the kids were very naughty, loud, and basically, I'm lucky they each went home in one piece. There were a few other assorted annoyances before AM dismissal. When I arrived in the teachers' lounge, I discovered pans of leftover fried chicken with all the eccoutrements. I controlled myself . For lunch, I had yogurt with blueberries and diet 7up. For dinner, I had three slices of cheese pizza from a small pizza (I could easily eat the entire small pizza, but didn't.) I am very proud of myself, because I was able to remember my goals and restrained myself from pigging out.

Robyn, Sorry things are so hectic in your room. I'm lucky that all the "clipboard holders" in my school don't bother to come into my room since we are ONLY PRE-K. If I was trying to teach guided reading and I had to deal with our literacy specialist and speech pathologist working in the room as well, I would be sooooo frustrated. GOOD LUCK SISTER!

Kar, congrats on the weight loss!

Summer

Sorry I've been away. What a week.
We have 2 more teachers out. One had by-pass surgery on Tuesday (a very good friend of mine) and the other was hospitalized with a serious lung infection. The heart patient is doing great. He has a long road ahead of him, but he is in good spirits. The other one, we found out today, has mold in her lungs. So now they are testing her room and another one. The teachers are almost up in arms because they think EVERY room should be tested. Mold has actually been found in 3 classrooms and the 8th grade hallway. In an impromptu staff meeting today, we voiced concerns about the number of teachers who have been sick with asthma and allergy symptons (at least 3 have been diagnosed with pneumonia). We think it also explains why so many students are always sick with respiratory problems. The oldest part of the school is only 7 years old and the newest part is only 2 years old. We have one more week before we go on break. What a year this has been.

We had a nice little thunderstorm pass through here about 2 hours ago. We got only a few drops of rain, enough to dirty the car. Mesa, on the east side got hit pretty hard. It's nice now though, the temp has really dropped. It's about 75 now.

I feel so proud of all of you who are OP. I'm still trying, but I'm so tired all the time. Maybe I can do more during the 3 weeks I'm off. Although I will be teaching for 2 of those weeks, it's only for 4 hours a day and 4 days a week. Shouldn't be too bad.

We signed Ashley up for Tennis Camp next week. I knew daddy would go crazy having her home all day (Spring break is next week for her) so I decided the $100 was worth it. She'll go from 9-4 every day. Lots of activities for her and she will learn some of the basics of tennis. I love these day camps.

Only 1 more week; no more lesson plans; grades are done ; only testing and some fun time next week; and I'm done. What a great feeling.

Take care everyone. I'll try not to stay away so long.

Cal

Hey Cal! Sure have missed you! School sounds scary. Why ARENT they testing EVERY classroom for mold? I'm afraid I'd be right there with the rest demanding that MY room be included in the check!

I had to chuckle at you comment about the temp dropping to 75. Our "weather" issues are all relative, aren't they?? LOL We had 1 day of extremely unusually WARM weather....more snow was predicted for yesterday, BUT it only rained! Praisethelord!

Summer, Yahoo! Good job! Doesn't being in control feel great?! I remember how it feels! LOL Keep it going girl!

I worked with DS12SpEd on his WW1 airplane project last night UNTIL I thought I was going to go nuts! He has nooooooo concept of HOW to do these projects without me. It is sooooooo frustrating. I'll have to ask you "BigKidTeachers" for some guidance..eventually! Don't take time out now for it tho! Project is done! I know more about WWI and airplanes than a gal needs to!

OHHHH.... nearly forgot.... two of our MOTHERS got into a fist fight in the parking lot during dismissal (of over 700 students) yesterday....complete with swearing and pulling hair and punching and stabbing keys into the face.... It was quite a scene. It was "broken up" by two fathers who happened to be at our school in the parking lot coming to get their kids. The one father had to straddle the mother with the keys and hold her down. The cussing was sort of um..EYEOPENING...even for sailor mouthed me! The police blocked the only entrance...all 3 of the police cars...no one could get in or out of the school....There was hair flying around in the wind.... standing room only with parents trying to pick up their children.... It was totally sickening. What on earth are things coming to? I've got to GET OUT of this school....

actually, I've gotta go get dressed and GO to that school! LOL
Ya'll take care,
type to you later...
Robyn

Okey...I've lost my mind. It is 10 til 4 in the morning. I'm sitting here typing a resume and cover letter...I have decided very last minute to hit a job fair tomorrow morning..later this morning! I KNOW nothing about doing this.... and I'm a tad sleepy! Think they will hire an old bird with DARK circles under her eyes?

Wow! Old dogs can learn new tricks! I've returned home feeling that perhaps I'm NOT too old to roll over! I thought I was going to toss my cookies right then and there waiting for my turn at the JobFair....HOWEVER, I interviewed with a gem who put me so at ease that I literally forgot WHAT / WHY I was talking to her! She was very positive. She gave me wonderful feedback and HOPE! I've gotta get the youngest to Baseball practice...guess the snow has melted ENOUGH! heheheh...we don't really have any snow...we actually have a couple of daffodils blooming!

Gotta run.....
take care...Make the most of the weekend, ladies!
Robyn

where does the weekend go?

HI Ladies,
I will try this one more time and I hope that it takes. I have posted several messages over the weekend and none of them seem to have been sent to the forum page. It is a little nerve racking that I sat and typed replies to everyone and they did not go through!
I have been under a little extra stress this weekend. My oldest sister who is 42 went to the hospital on Thursday night complaning of pains in her right arm. She lives in WV and didn't call anyone in the family until Friday morning to let us know what was going on. She drove herself to the hospital that night at 1:30. She got admitted and they did all kinds of test on her and can't figure out what was causing her pains in the right arm. So she has to go for a stress test tomorrow morning at 6:50 a.m. Let's just say that I got a lot of school work done this weekend trying to take my mind off her health problems. I was able to put together about 30 some file folder games for my kids, made up a $4.800 wish list for my special education supervisior (key word being wish list I probably won't see any of it in this lifetime) LOL, typed up a note to my principal asking for a new filing cabinet and storage cabinet for next year since the one I currently have is pretty much beaten up by my one austic student who loves to run and bounce off them, and I even started writing my IEP's which aren't due until the end of the month. So I am pretty tired this evening. I am hoping that I can enjoy some of my week at school without having to bring home a lot of work.
So how was everyone else's weekends?
Robyn I will keep my fingers crossed that you hear positive feedback from your job fair interview. What made you decide to look for another job?
Well I better go and get some sleep. It is going to be a long day tomorrow I work until 6:30. Then it will be off to the gym to workout. Take care everyone!

Okay Kar...I'm having trouble posting as well. Let's try one more time, and then, I QUIT!

We've been painting our living room, so my computer was not hooked up for a couple of days. And just to add to the chaos, DD got a stomach virus and puked all over the newish couch and rug. So, as you can see, I've been a bit preoccupied. Sorry I have been MIA.

Back to school just in time for a major nor'easter, STORM ERIN. This is not your typical spring snow that melts when it hits the ground. No, no, no, this is like a midwinter blizzard! What really sucks is that once it started warming up, and there was hope for spring, (this Friday, yeh right! ) I got into exercising almost every day, and lost 3 pounds last week! But now with this horrible wintry weather, my body wants to drink cocoa and eat chocolate chip cookies...I want to hibernate...sleep and eat chocolate...maybe I have that icky problem with lack of sunlight or something...doesn't matter, because I love where I live...I just want it to be summer all the time!

Okay that worked. If I post in small spirts, I don't lose what I've typed. I guess soon, I will have to start a new thread for us...#5.

Kar, I hope your sister is better soon.

Robyn, good for you getting out there to a job fair! Excellent!

Take care my friends!

Summer

HOW COULD I FORGET?! HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY TOMORROW!!! ERIN GO BRAGH!!! YES I'M IRISH, MY MOTHER'S FATHER WAS FROM IRELAND, AND I MARRIED AN IRISHMAN.

What a day! We had a 90 minute delay today. We got a lot of snow overnight. Thankfully by 10am, the streets were melted and getting to school wasn't bad. Luckily I didn't have to do after school program today, because I got home before it all iced over. The temperatures are dropping into the 20's...you'd never know that spring was just days away.

My aide opted out today. She is such a waste of time...she has no right taking up space on this planet.

I only had two students in my first session, so for the short time they were with me, they had center time. Those two little stinkers made the mess of 20 kids...and they got picked up early so they didn't clean up!

My principal, who is new so far I like, came into my room and told me that I would be leading the professional development workshop this afternoon on rubrics and criteria charts. (Thanks for the prep time!!!) I certainly wasn't expecting the first time I led a workshop for it to be tossed in my lap at the last minute. I knew that I was going to have to do this eventually, but I pictured doing a power point presentation and having lots of handouts, etc. Instead, I had to rip my rubrics and criteria charts right off my walls, photocopy them, and use them for the presentation. It went okay, but not like I would have planned it had I been more in control of the situation. Oh well.

I'd better go...American Idol is on!

Summer

I HATE SNOW! I HATE WINTER! I AM SO FRIGGIN SICK OF THIS COLD, ICEY, SNOWY WEATHER! TOMORROW IS THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING...YEH RIGHT!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!

Well, so much for the diet and exercise plan. So much for the 3 lbs. I lost a week and a half ago.

Okay, enough complaining. I mean, it can't snow forever, can it?! Sooner or later it has to get above 25 degrees, right?! I mean really!!!

Do you remember that I told you that I was put on the spot by my principal to lead a workshop on Wednesday? Well, I was totally unprepared except for a couple of handouts that I ripped off my walls and copied at the last minute. Apparently, my presentation went so well that they want me to do a follow-up workshop...this time a "make & take." They want materials to make their own rubrics and criteria charts, and for me to show everyone how to do them. That I don't mind because I will have time to prepare. All I need is time to prepare. I'm just really surprised that this school has no clue how to do them. I was trained in this three years ago at my previous school...I thought all of the schools received the same time. I guess I was wrong.

Tomorrow is my St. Patrick's Day party. I will make use of this snow day to begin cleaning, etc.

I will check in on Sunday. Take care my friends.

Summer

I'm sick. I've been sick all week. I made it to school each day in spite of wanting to remain in my bed and divert all of my attention to attempting to breathe. Today, during the afternoon, I thought for SURE that my head was going to explode all over my little dears. I'm heading to bed. TGIF. Robyn....is there a little face with a box of tissues by it?! LOL

Robyn, take some Nyquil, vitamin C, echinacea, lots of fluids, and call me in the morning. Feel better my friend.

Summer

I am up and preparing myself for my 9 year old's birthday celebration! Yahoo! I'll be back later today to report how I resisted pizza and junk food! I am STRONG! ..and since nothing tastes good with this head cold thing going...hehehehe!

Make the most of Saturday girlies! Not too much Green Beer, Summer! LOL

take care,
Robyn